Daddy Dearest
by kittybee
Summary: Prologue is during first Iron Man film. The rest takes place during the Avengers. Maria Stark is done being second to science. With a suit of her own she disappears without a trace. Until SHIELD decides they need her help. But when she finds herself relating more and more to the God of Mischief and Lies how can she stand against him? And how does Daddy Dearest react to all this?
1. Chapter 1

"Dad, you're home!" Maria Stark greeted her father happily as he walked through the elevator doors. His assistant – and her best friend- Pepper Potts trailed after Tony, binder in hand and stress marks on her face. Three months Tony had been missing; three months he had been lost in Afghanistan. Pepper and Maria had gone absolutely nuts worrying about him. They obsessed about finding him. After some time they realized all they could do was wait, and it drove Maria insane.

"Hey kid," Tony responded as he made his way to the bar. Maria frowned but kept her mouth shut. Her father's drinking habits were one thing they fought about constantly, but she wasn't going to argue with him today. She was just happy he was alive. He was the only family she had left. However, Pepper wasn't as lenient.

"Tony, it's not even noon yet."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Pep, I haven't had a decent drink in three months. Let me have this." He left no room for argument as he grabbed his glass, and the bottle, and made his way to the lab. Maria shook her head as one tear fell from her eyes. She quickly wiped it away; there was no room for tears in the Stark household. But she had missed her dad, so much. Even though they rarely spoke, his presence in the house was comforting, a reminder that she wasn't really alone. Then he was gone, and Maria was haunted by the memories of loneliness and despair she had felt when her mother died. Except this time, there was no agency who could locate a missing family member, no one she could live with. The fear of living on the streets again followed her everyday Tony was gone, but he was back now. No need to worry.

"So, uh, I saw the conference," Maria muttered quietly. Not that she could have avoided it if she wanted to. Every channel was covering Tony's decision to shut down the weapons division of Stark Industries. Most were blaming it on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, others said that Tony's captivity opened his eyes to the devastation in the Middle East, and some even speculated that perhaps Stark had joined the terrorists and was making sure the U.S was left defenseless. Maria had rolled her eyes and shut the television off but she was angry. Not because of his decision, no, she was very proud of her father for that, but because he didn't come to see her first. Instead she had to find out from the news stations that Tony was alive. She was his daughter, but more importantly, she was an after-thought.

Pepper gave Maria a hug. "I know it's hard sometimes sweetie. I tried to convince him to come home first but you know how your father is once his mind is set." The red-head chuckled. "It's still so weird to call Tony someone's father. And it's already been almost two years since you came to live with us." Her blue eyes widened. "Your birthday's coming up soon!" Maria mentally rolled her eyes. If there was one thing Pepper sucked at in normal conversation, it was changing the subject. But she played along.

"Yeah, I'll be seventeen next week. Do you think he'll remember?" Maria asked with a small, sad smile. Pepper ruffled the younger girl's long dark hair.

"Maybe but if not just use his credit card to buy yourself something nice. I do it all the time," Pepper answered with a small laugh.

"How do you do it Peps?"

"Do what?"

"Deal with Dad ignoring you all time. Sometimes he acts like we don't exist and just stays in his lab all day."

Pepper held the girl at arm's length. Maria had her mother's heart-shaped face and plump lips and her father's dark hair and brown eyes. The girl had also inherited her father's intelligence and loner attitude, preferring to keep company with Pepper, Rhodey and Happy, rather than meet new people. But she had grown up with a mother who loved her dearly. Pepper remembered when Tony had been dating Anna. He had found her at some café downtown on a lunch break. She had been a school teacher and had a heart so big it was only rivaled by her daughter. They broke it off a few months later, but Tony never told Pepper why. Apparently he didn't know either. Pepper guessed that Anna had found out she was pregnant and didn't want to raise a child in Stark's world. She could hardly blame her.

Pepper had done some digging and found from neighbors and friends that while Anna couldn't spoil Maria with material things, she more than made up for it in the love she gave her daughter. It must have been a hard transition to go from a loving mother to a father who barely acknowledged your existence.

Pepper sighed and patted the girl on the cheek. "Eventually you get used to it. Or you fight to make him see you. That's all." She smiled. "Come on. Let's go for some ice cream."

Maria nodded and let herself be dragged out the door. It didn't stop her from taking one last look at the staircase to the lab, hoping Tony would come up to see her. No surprise there, he didn't.

Actually, he didn't come out of the lab for the next two weeks. And he forgot her birthday.

* * *

Maria normally didn't go down into the labs, although she had access. Tony knew she was a genius too and acted accordingly. She thought that they might have had something to talk about but he liked to keep to himself while working and she kept her distance. The night of the banquet, Maria decided to work on something for the first time in months. Her original intent was to try and create a holographic body for JARVIS but then she stepped foot in the lab.

In the center was the most obnoxiously painted metal suit she had ever seen –not that she had seen a metal suit like this before, ever, but the red and gold was really bright. "Whoa," she breathed, walking around it, taking in every detail, every inch of gold-titanium alloy. This is what Tony had been working on these past few weeks? Quickly, Maria rushed over to the desk and pulled up a screen. The blueprints for the suit were still there. She sent them to her own files, but then paused. "JARVIS, why are you letting me take the files?" If Tony didn't want Maria snooping around then JARVIS was always there to keep her out. She may be a genius but she wasn't Tony fucking Stark and still had no idea how to get around the AI.

"Mr. Stark never gave specific instructions to keep the data protected from you," the British voice answered.

"Okay," she nodded to herself slowly. "But if he asks…"

"You did not touch a thing," JARVIS completed her sentence. Maria smiled widely.

"I knew there was a reason I loved you Jay."

"If I had emotions I'm positive the sentiment would be returned Ms. Stark."

Maria laughed and started fixing the calculations to match her own body. It would take a while, especially if she was going to keep this from Tony and Pepper, and she was going to have to be really careful about getting the right materials. But she would do it. She was a Stark after all.

* * *

The night Obidiah attacked Tony, she had taken her fitted green and silver suit for its first test flight. It flew like a dream as she travelled over the California coast. Never had Maria felt so free, so alive. She always had someone or something holding her down. First it had been the death of her mother, which she was still trying to deal with. It was hard but she was making progress. The nightmares didn't haunt her every night and the suffocating feeling she constantly had in her chest was slowly going away.

After her mother died, Maria was tied down to the streets of New York, the need to survive. And now she dealt with a man who didn't care about her. She was no idiot; she knew Stark took her in as an obligation. He didn't really care about her and she was learning to be okay with that. But a little voice in the back of her mind told her she didn't have to be ignored. She could leave, be her own woman, take care of herself. And as Maria flew around in circles and loops, she closed her eyes and tightened her resolve.

"JARVIS?"

"Yes, Ms. Stark?"

"Set a route for New York, and make sure everything's up and running at the smaller Stark home," Maria commanded, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Would you like me to inform Mister St-"

"No. Actually I don't want him to even know the house is in use. Keep everything on the down low Jay."

There was a pause.

"Very well Ms. Stark. Calculating fastest route to New York. Would you like me to order some clothing for you as well to be delivered?" The British voice almost sounded disapproving.

"That'd be great Jay. Thank you." Maria sighed. The computer cared more about her well-being than her own father did. Maybe getting away is exactly what she needed.

"One last thing Miss, would you like me to leave a message for Ms. Potts?"

Her breath caught in her throat. Pepper was her best friend and she would be devastated. "Just tell her I'm sorry," a few tears rolled down her face, "and that we'll see each other again soon." And then she was gone, a streak of light following her as she travelled through the sky.

Down below, Pepper made a wish hoping that Tony survived the overload.

Tony looked up and thanked whatever force out there that he was alive.

Maria never crossed their minds.

Her disappearance wasn't noticed until Rhodey came for a visit.

"Hey guys. Where's Maria? I have a gift for her." Rhodey loved bringing Maria gifts back from the various places he had visited. This time he had a hand crafted bracelet from India. It was supposed to ward off negative thoughts. Pepper stood up. "I'll go get her. We haven't seen her lately. She's probably locked in her room working on some project."

A few moments later, a very distraught looking Pepper came back. "Tony, she's not in her room. JARVIS said she's not even in the house."

"Relax Pep, she probably went for a run this morning or something and got distracted." Seeing the worry not leave the red-head's face he sighed. "Jay, when did Maria leave this morning?"

"Miss Stark did not depart from the house today."

Tony furrowed his brow. "But she's not here right?"

"That is correct, sir."

"JARVIS when did Maria leave?" Tony said level-headed. He needed to be calm. If she had been kidnapped, JARVIS would have let them know immediately. She probably went out last night and went wild. But inside he was freaking out. Where was his daughter?

"Miss Stark left nearly a week ago sir. I'm surprised you have not noticed her absence yet."

"Not now Jay. Pep I need you to go make a few phone calls. See if you can put out a missing person's report." Pepper nodded, a few tears on her heart-broken face, and left dialing phone numbers. "Rhodey…" he trailed off.

Rhodey understood. "I'll try and pull some strings. We'll find her Tony. She couldn't have gone far." And then he was gone too, phone pressed to his ear.

"She's her father's daughter," he muttered to himself. Pepper had said those words to him once not too long ago. "She's my daughter, of course she went far. She's not an idiot. She's probably on the other side of the world by now." Tony sighed, pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes, and then went to make himself a nice strong drink. They'd find her soon. They had to.


	2. Chapter 2

Maria Stark smiled to herself as she put the finishing touches on the Mark VI. This had to be the best one yet. Now nineteen –going on twenty- years old, she had spent the last three years perfecting the different suits and working on various projects. She finally got around to giving JARVIS his holographic body; it resembled her maternal grandfather and made her feel less alone in the large house. Even the smaller of the two Stark properties in New York was massive. Somehow she had never been found. Maria guessed that they never bothered looking for her or assumed she was somewhere in Europe. No matter, the time away had done the young girl good.

Her already long hair now reached her waist that she wore in a braid to keep it out of the way of her work. Maria had grown a few inches and had filled out. The hours she spent training in the gym helped as well. No longer was she a lanky little girl, but now she was beautiful young woman. Her mother would have been proud of her.

"Ms. Stark, there's been a security breach," JARVIS's voice rang out in the lab. Maria quickly grabbed a pair of gauntlets and stood still as they closed around her hands. The hum of power was very comforting to her as she tried to calm her racing heart. No one had found her; no one knew the house was being lived in. She quietly made her way up the stairs. What kind of person would she be dealing with? A common thief? No, they wouldn't have been smart enough to bypass JARVIS. Someone smart then. That made them dangerous.

Maria pressed herself against the wall, peaking through the doorframe. The man's back was turned to her and he wore a long dark coat. She raised the gauntlet and it powered up. "Turn around slowly or I will shoot," she threatened. The man chuckled and turned to face her. He dressed in all black under his coat and wore an eye-patch. "Who are you?"

"I would have expected nothing less from Stark's kid," the stranger said with a small laugh. Maria pushed her hand forward, showing him she was not playing games.

"How do you know who I am? And who the hell are you? I will not ask again."

He looked at her carefully. "At least you're not as reckless as your father. That's good for something. I'm Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D. You can lower the weapon; I'm here to offer you a proposition." Maria raised an eyebrow but lowered her hand and powered down the gauntlets. She finally took the goggles off her face. What a sight she must have been in front of the head of a government agency. She was dressed in cargo pants and a white tank that was more black from oil and grease than it was white. Her pale skin was also covered in the black substance.

"What kind of proposition?"

"We've been keeping tabs on you, Ms. Stark, since you entered your father's care. And after you left; you were not declared a threat but you had some very powerful technology at your disposal."

Maria growled and raised her hand again. "I do not hear a proposition yet, nor do I appreciate being spied on."

"Calm down. We kept Stark off your scent, since for whatever reason you didn't want to be found," Fury crossed his arms with a raised eyebrow.

"Wha-"

"Thank us later. Now, the world is in danger and we need your help."

"And what could you possibly need me for? I'm not Iron Man. You'd want to speak to daddy dearest for that." Maria sighed and took the gauntlets off. The bracelets she wore under them turned dark. She may not have had an arc reactor in her chest but she learned how to put the energy into smaller crystals that powered the suit the same way her father's was.

"You're not. But it wouldn't hurt to have an extra suit, and an extra genius around." Maria bit her lip, unsure if she should. They'd probably have everything under control without her. And she really didn't want to have to see Tony again. Fury saw her indecision. "You do this and we can make sure you never have to see Stark again. We'll relocate you to some nice little villa in Italy or something. Deal?" He held out a folder to her. She searched his face, looking for deceit and found none. Maria grabbed the folder and turned to go back downstairs without another word.

"JARVIS, make sure he gets out and then I want you to run a diagnostics check on the security system. Find out how he overrode the codes and fix it."

"Of course Ms. Stark."

"And ready the Mark VI, Jay. I get the feeling we're going to be needing it."

* * *

Not very far from her, Tony was having a similar conversation with Agent Coulson.

"Um, I'm pretty sure his first name is Agent."

Coulson merely rolled his eyes. He had dealt enough with Stark in the past to realize it was his way of showing he cared. "Mister Stark this is a serious matter. We're calling you in as a consult. You're needed to find a very powerful object." He held out a file.

"I don't like being handed things," Tony said with a little attitude.

"That's okay, because I love to be handed things," Pepper responded, taking the file and doing a switch, giving Tony the file and Coulson a glass of wine. Tony glared at the woman.

"We were having a moment."

"I was having twelve percent of a moment," she shot back with a playful smirk on her lips. "Besides it looks like you have homework." Tony pulled up the images in the file. Pepper nodded to herself. "A lot of homework." Her eyes caught sight of something. "Tony, isn't that-"

"An Iron Man suit? Looks like it. You want to explain who this guy is wearing a replica of my suit, Coulson?" Tony demanded. Phil sighed.

"She's just another person on the team. I wouldn't worry too much about it. You'll find out in a day's time." Coulson refused to get in the center of this family feud. They could sort out their problems after the world was safe. Tony glared at the man, but let it go. He'd find out eventually.

"I'm going to leave for D.C tonight okay?" Pepper told him.

"Yeah, okay."

"Don't forget Maria's birthday is tomorrow," she said softly. She still missed her best friend every day; although she wondered how the girl would react that she was dating her father. They had searched for Maria for a year before giving up. But it affected all of them greatly. Especially Tony. He blamed himself for her running off. After the search was called off, he would drink himself to sleep every night. Then he would go out in the suit to keep trying to find her. Pepper wasn't sure where the sudden care had come from. A sense of obligation to the girl's dead mother? Or maybe he really did care about his daughter. But even he gave up eventually.

"What does it even matter Pep?" Tony snapped. Any mention of Maria put him in a sour mood. Pepper just smiled sadly and kissed his cheek.

"Hey, Phil, are you headed to La Guardia?"

Tony droned them out as he turned to stare at the video of the green and silver suit. He pushed the thought of his daughter to the back of his mind and focused on the task at hand. He would meet the owner of the suit soon enough.

* * *

"Kneel!" Loki yelled, watching with satisfaction as the puny mortals obeyed his command. It was almost too easy, but they were just ants under his boot. "Isn't it easier this way? You crave subjugation. You were made to be ruled and in the end you will always kneel." He smirked. The people before him trembled in fear. This is what it meant to rule, to have people fear you. Loki's eyes narrowed as one man stood up.

"Not to men like you," the elder said in somewhat broken English. Loki laughed.

"There are no men like me."

"There will always be men like you."

"Watch as I make an example of your elder, mortals," Loki said as he aimed the staff. Before the glowing blue mass in the middle finished charging, he was plowed to the ground by a green mass.

Maria flew up above Loki, hand posed to fire. "Don't move," she said. She thanked whatever God there was up there that the voice changer hid the shaking in her voice. Loki raised his staff in response, firing a beam at her. She dodged, firing her own shot at the oddly dressed man. He rolled away. It continued on this way, each dodging and firing, neither being hit, for a few moments. Loki was loathed to admit it but this creature posed him a bit of a challenge. The voice had definitely been female, even behind the robotic tone, and she was powerful. She would make a great asset. Barton never mentioned a metal woman though.

Loki was taken from his thoughts as a red, white, and blue shield just grazed the tip of his nose. He growled and looked to see who the new opponent was. "Ah, the man out of time," he said with a smirk.

"You're out of time," the Captain said as he rushed toward Loki. All three were startled by a sudden burst of loud rock music coming from the speakers.

"Black Sabbath?" Maria said to herself confused. Her confusion didn't last long before she found herself crashing into the ground. She looked through the HUB to find a scarily similar red and gold suit standing over her. Maria sighed.

"I have questions for you," she heard Tony ask. His voice was hidden behind the robotic sound but it was his voice. She hadn't realized how much she had missed it.

"We deal with Loki first then we can talk." Maria left no room for argument as she pushed herself up and went to go help Captain America deal with Loki. She shot a blast at the Asgardian that knocked him down.

"Make your move Reindeer Games."

* * *

They made it onto the quinjet with the prisoner with no additional problems. Once they had Loki strapped down, both Stark and Captain removed their headgear.

"Alright, who are you and why do you have my suit?" Stark demanded angrily. Loki watched curiously and the metal girl reached up and took off her helmet. Loki could have laughed at the dumbfounded look on the Man of Iron's face had he been in a better state. "Maria?" Stark whispered, shock, anger and confusion evident on his face.

The girl smiled sheepishly. "Hey dad."


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey dad."

Tony felt his jaw drop to the floor as he stared at Maria, emotions running through him at a mile a minute. His mouth moved, trying to form words. What could he say? He had long since given up hope that he would see his daughter again, much less that he would find her in an Iron Man suit. Although he supposed the idea wasn't that far-fetched; she did have his genius after all.

Natasha looked at the scene behind her warily. She had her doubts in Fury's plan to involve the Stark heiress in this mess. The child was a novice at best and would only cause Stark to become emotionally compromised once he knew she was alive. Widow shook her head and just hoped that an argument wouldn't arise.

Steve looked between the two metal suits and their wearers confused. It was almost like he was seeing double. He didn't know that Mr. Stark had a daughter –_Howard must be rolling in his grave_, Steve thought, _he always said he wanted a little girl_- but it was impossible not to tell that the two of them were related. Cap sighed and shook his head wondering why Stark would allow his daughter to accompany them on such a dangerous mission, but from the looks of it, he was surprised to see her.

Finally, Tony seemed to gather his senses. "'Hey dad,'" he mocked. "Three years, three goddamn years you've been missing and all you have to say is 'hey dad'?" He chuckled mirthlessly. "Unbelievable, un-fucking-believable." Maria cast her eyes to the floor. She hadn't seen him look disappointed or angry at her in years, she wasn't going to start again. "And you have my suit- of course you do-"

"It's _my _suit," Maria interrupted. "It may be based roughly off your design of the Mark II but this one is _mine._" She had spent months, years, working on her suits; they were her babies. She was not going to let Tony talk down to her; she was just as smart as he was.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever. But where have you _been_? Pepper was worried sick about you! So was Rhodey-"

Maria noticed that he didn't once say he had been worried about her or missed her as he continued on with his rant. She looked anywhere except for her father and eventually found herself making eye contact with the prisoner. His green eyes shone with interest but were far off, as if he was remembering something. She quickly moved her eyes to a spot directly above his head.

"-and we thought you were fucking dead, Maria."

"Yeah, well obviously I'm alive and kicking pops, so no need to think that anymore," she said lightly, and she could feel the glare he sent her way.

"Is this a joke to you? Actually, you know what? Don't answer that. We're going to be talking when we land this thing and then you are going back to Malibu." Tony pinched the bridge of his nose, obviously irritated. Maria finally shifted her eyes toward Tony in shock.

"You're kidding me right? You have got to be fucking kidding me," she laughed. "I have been living by myself for the last two years, perfectly safe and happy (_and away from you_, she wanted to add but refrained herself from doing so) and you think I'm just going to roll over because you tell me to?" she asked incredulously. "I don't think so."

Steve and Natasha watched the argument awkwardly, not sure whether they should intervene or not. Natasha rolled her eyes and decided not to get involved. The sky was very suddenly getting cloudy and she didn't like it. Steve wanted to stop them from saying something they'd regret. He silently agreed with Tony about sending Maria home –she was just a girl- but he wasn't going to force her. The girl in question looked like she might cry out of frustration and Steve was never one who could turn down helping a lady in distress.

"Mr. Stark, that's enough," the Captain ordered as he placed his hand on the metal shoulder. "This is a conversation that should be held in private at a later time."

Tony turned to Steve. "Don't-" he was cut off as he noticed Loki looking around after a particularly loud bout of thunder. "What's the matter Rock of Ages? Scared of a little thunder?"

"I'm not particularly fond of what follows," came the quiet reply. The jet shook and Maria quickly replaced her helmet, noticing that Steve and Tony were doing the same. Tony opened the jet and immediately there was a solid _thunk_ as someone landed on the ramp. Maria barely had time to blink before the man grabbed Loki and jumped out of the jet.

_What did I get myself into_? she wondered as she stared blankly at the now vacant seat. She watched as Tony walked to the ramp about to go fly after them.

"We need a plan of attack Mr. Stark," Rogers called out.

"I have a plan. Attack." And then he was gone.

Maria rolled her eyes and mentally face palmed. One thing certainly hadn't changed. Her father was still a cocky bastard. Steve reached for a parachute.

"You should sit this one out Captain," Natasha warned from the cockpit.

"How can I?"

"These people are beyond powerful. They're practically gods where they're from."

Maria scoffed. Gods? Please.

"There's only one god," Steve answered. "And I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that." Maria wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or shake her head. The Captain was religious and a goody goody. How had Stark not killed him yet? She looked around the empty jet and sighed.

"Fuck it," she muttered as she followed their lead and jumped from the jet.

It wasn't hard for her to find them. She even passed Rogers on the way down. Maria flew a small distance above the battle below her. She bit her lip, a tiny piece of her worried for her dad. She shook the feeling off and instead focused on finding Loki. He was the priority anyways. She apprehended him, brought him to S.H.E.I.L.D, and she got to go back to living her life in peace.

Loki was sitting on a ledge, watching the battle. He smiled. It was nice to see Thor being beat down by a mere mortal. It was almost the ultimate humiliation. Loki was distracted as someone landed next to him. It was the metal woman. _Maria_, his mind supplied him. _Apparently, she's the Man of Iron's offspring_. He braced himself for a fight and found himself instead surprised as she sat down next to him, legs dangling of the ledge. She removed her headpiece. _Does this mortal not see me as a threat?_

Maria glanced at Loki from the corner of her eye. He had yet to attempt to flee, which was strange, but he wasn't trying to kill anyone at the moment. And she had no idea how to go about bringing him back to the jet. She definitely wouldn't be able to carry him. So instead she just decided to keep an eye on him. The fight below continued on. She figured any minute the good Captain would enter in the fray and try to make peace.

She could feel the prisoner staring at her. It made her uneasy. So she did what she normally did when uncomfortable- she talked. "So who's the big lug down there? He looks like something out of a medieval movie or play. And who fights with a hammer anyways? Isn't that like," she made a gesture with her hands, "I don't know; weird? But then again you have the giant glow stick thingy. So what are you guys anyways? And how'd you piss Lancelot off?"

Loki merely blinked at Maria, his blue eyes wide and confused. He was the villain, the bad guy, the monster. She wasn't supposed to speak to him like a person. It went against the rules. Was it a ploy? A trick to get him to slip up and tell her of his plans? She looked at him like she was expecting an answer. "I will answer your inquisitions if you answer one of mine," he compromised. He was a master manipulator and he would outwit this child.

"Sounds fair."

Loki nodded, and without thinking asked, "Why is it that you and the Man of Iron are at odds?" He cringed. Of all the things to ask. But it was a slip of the tongue and, Maria noticed, a slip of eye color. His eyes flashed green momentarily before turning back to their blue state.

"Well…" she traveled off, not knowing how to start. She also didn't want to tell him too much. "We've never gotten along," she finally said. "So one day I left and never looked back." Finally Steve entered the field. She couldn't hear what he was saying, but it seemed to piss off the big blonde guy. Maria and Loki both covered their ears as the hammer hit the shield. Maria's eyes had clenched shut and when she opened them she whispered "Oh shit." The forest had almost been completely knocked down.

The world seemed to shake in Maria's mind. The collision had managed to do some damage to her ears apparently, seeing as everything sounded all echo-y. But she didn't tell anyone and as they escorted Loki back to the jet, she could barely make out Tony yelling at her. So she ignored him and sat down against the wall. She slept the entire way back to base.


End file.
